The average painter and decorator salary UK workers earn is around £29,000 a year when employed — roughly £16 an hour. But this trade has a twist the others don’t: it’s the easiest and cheapest trade to start, and it has the biggest gap between what employed workers earn and what self-employed business owners take home.
The lowest barrier to entry of any UK trade
Unlike plumbing or electrical work, you don’t legally need years of formal certification to start painting and decorating. The kit is inexpensive, the skills can be learned quickly on the job, and you can go self-employed with very little upfront cost. That makes it one of the fastest routes into a skilled trade — and into running your own business.
The flip side is that low barriers mean more competition, so reputation and quality of finish are what separate the £150-a-day decorator from the one charging £400+.
Painter and Decorator Salary UK: Employed vs Self-Employed
This is where the real money shows up. An employed painter and decorator earns £24,000–£35,000. A self-employed decorator charges day rates of £150–£325 nationally, rising to £250–£650 in London and the South East for experienced and premium work. A consistently busy sole trader earns well above the employed average, and a decorator who builds a small limited company can reach £70,000+.
The trade-off is the usual self-employed one: you cover your own tools, van, insurance, materials markup, and unpaid days between jobs.
Painter and decorator salary by experience
- Apprentice / trainee — around £11,000–£18,000 a year while you learn.
- Newly qualified — around £22,000–£26,000.
- Experienced (employed) — around £34,000.
- Self-employed / business owner — £40,000–£70,000+, the top of the trade.
Painter and Decorator Salary UK by Region
Location has a big effect on the painter and decorator salary UK average. London and the South East run 30–45% above the national midpoint, driven by demand and higher overheads, while Wales and Northern Ireland sit lower:
| Region | Average salary | Per hour |
|---|---|---|
| London | £36,000 | £17.31 |
| South East | £33,000 | £15.87 |
| East of England | £29,000 | £13.94 |
| Midlands | £28,000 | £13.46 |
| Scotland | £28,000 | £13.46 |
| North West | £27,000 | £12.98 |
| Wales | £25,000 | £12.02 |
| Northern Ireland | £24,000 | £11.54 |
As with all trades, the London premium is partly offset by higher living and business costs (congestion charges, ULEZ, rent) — so real take-home can be closer between regions than the headline figures suggest.
What else affects a painter and decorator’s pay
- Employment model — self-employed decorators and business owners earn far more than employed ones.
- Specialism — wallpapering, feature finishes, heritage and high-end residential work command premium rates.
- Reputation — with a low barrier to entry, reviews and word-of-mouth drive higher day rates.
- Region — London and the South East lead, as the table shows.
Is becoming a painter and decorator worth it?
For the fastest, cheapest route into a self-employed trade, it’s hard to beat. You can start earning quickly with minimal qualifications, demand for home improvement is steady, and a strong reputation can take you from a typical painter and decorator salary UK of £29,000 employed to a £70,000 business. The trade-offs are heavy competition at the entry level and physically repetitive work, so building quality and reputation early is what pays off.
Frequently asked questions
How much do painters and decorators make an hour in the UK?
Employed painters and decorators earn around £12–£20 an hour, while self-employed decorators charge £15–£40 an hour, rising to £37–£38+ in London.
Do self-employed painters and decorators earn more?
Yes, considerably. Day rates of £150–£325 (more in London) push successful self-employed decorators well above the £29,000 employed average, with business owners reaching £70,000+.
Do you need qualifications to be a painter and decorator?
Not legally — it’s one of the few trades you can start with minimal formal qualifications, though an NVQ or City & Guilds and a CSCS card help win bigger and commercial contracts.
Want the bigger picture? See our full breakdown of the average salary in the UK, or check official guidance at the National Careers Service.
More UK trades: see how much a plumber, an electrician, or a carpenter earns by region and as a self-employed tradesperson.